Prosecutors dismissed allegations that former Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Choi Sang-mok abused his authority by appointing a Constitutional Court justice while serving as acting president.
According to legal sources on the 23rd, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Shin Do-uk) dismissed on the 13th the case against the former deputy prime minister, who had been accused of abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights. A dismissal is a disposition that closes a case without a ruling on the merits when the requirements for a complaint are not met.
The conservative group Jayudahan Hogukdan filed a complaint in Jan. last year, saying that after the Dec. 3 martial law emergency, Choi, who was serving as acting president due to the suspension of duties of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, prioritized the appointment of two candidates, Jeong Gye-seon and Cho Han-chang, out of three candidates for Constitutional Court justice.
However, prosecutors concluded that Choi exercised the appointment power in accordance with constitutional duties as acting president. They also found that appointing a Constitutional Court justice is not subject to deliberation by the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, prosecutors also dismissed on the 18th of last month the case against former National Office of Investigation (NOI) chief Woo Jong-su, who had been accused of publicly disclosing investigative secrets after responding "it corresponds to the facts" regarding the notebook contents of former Defense Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won during an emergency inquiry by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee in Dec. 2024. Prosecutors reportedly determined that the remarks aligned with the public's right to know.
On the 26th of last month, prosecutors also dismissed the case filed by former Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) Vice Minister Yeo Un-guk, who had accused former CIO Director General Kim Myeong-seok of defamation by publication, among other charges.